5 Minimalist Money Habits to Help Save You More

1. Believe you can

The first tip I have for you today is to start believing that you can. The beginning of any big endeavor is always a little bit frightening. This was the case for us when it came to our debt journey.

As part of shedding the debt burden that we had on our lives, we began to sell things, and we started with things that we knew we didn't use or didn't even like that much. Shedding things got easier as time went on, even things we were more attached to.

We had that mindset that if we had never bought these items in the first place, that money would have never left our hands, and we wouldn't be getting just pennies back.

So if you are looking to save money or you're thinking about living more minimally, either one of these endeavors is a big deal, and it can be scary. Start and try it with baby steps, and I promise it will eventually get easier.

2. Curb shopping desires

I've never been a huge fan of shopping. I don't like being overwhelmed by the amount of choices that are out there. These days, I rarely step foot in a store.

I try to minimize the contact I have with the stores and with all the advertisements and products available because the more that these things are in front of your eyes, the more likely you are to want them.

I try to go to the store only once per week, including grocery shopping and shopping for miscellaneous items. When it comes to grocery shopping, my go-to place is Aldi because the store is smaller, and I can get through it quicker.

The choices are more limited, which I appreciate because I'm not overwhelmed by all the decisions I have to make.

When it comes to online shopping, we don't do much of that. If we do, we shop through Amazon or another shopping source, and then we can have it delivered to our door, which means there's less contact.

3. Make do or do without

You've probably heard your grandparents say this, and I have come to realize, as I've gotten older, how wise grandparents truly are.

We have some items in our home that are precious to us; about 95% of the things we own are just things, and they are here to serve us. We use them until there is no use left.

We had a rusty old van that we drove to the ground, which was a great example of this tip. About 15 years ago, my husband and I needed a lawn mower.

We went to a citywide garage sale held at a community center here in our town. We found a used lawn mower that was $10, a really good brand. We've made some minor repairs over the years, but it's still running 15 years later.

This mindset, this make do or do without, is probably the main thing that has saved us a ton of money over the years. So if there's one tip I can give you from this list, this is probably the one to take the most from. If something is still useful, go ahead and use it.

4. Time is money

This is probably another phrase that you have heard over and over again as a minimalist.

We very much realize that each and every item that we buy will, in turn, cost us time because time is the thing that we trade to earn the money that we need to buy that item. There is a direct correlation between these two things.

Our oldest son is starting to make this realization for himself as he started his very first job this summer. If there's an item that he is thinking about purchasing, he will verbalize the thought process behind it.

If he finds something that is $50, he will say, this would cost me 5 hours of work. It's such a simple correlation that it is a true statement.

In our family, we try hard not to play the game of I worked really hard, so I deserve a new whatever. The truth is, if you worked really hard, you deserve to keep the money that you earned.

5. Keep track of what you have

Budgeting is so important as a minimalist; I am constantly keeping a mental inventory of all the things that we have in our home. It helps me so that I don't make any impulse purchases when I'm at the store.

If I see a pair of shoes and I think, oh, my daughter might like these, I can mentally think back and say, she has three pairs of shoes at home. She doesn't need another pair of shoes.

In the same way, budgeting is just like keeping an inventory of money. It's a way to keep track of what you have coming in so that you don't end up overspending or making impulse buys.

Minimalist money habits

I hope that some of these minimalist money tips were helpful to you. I'm not saying that if you become a minimalist, you're going to be swimming in money, and life is going to be a breeze.

However, a shift happens when you start living more minimally, where you look at life in general through a different lens, including how you look at your finances and money.

Have you started living more minimally? Share your minimalist money tips in the comments below.